About Antonia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonia_Cox

Antonia is a journalist, school governor and mother of three living in central London. She first campaigned for the Conservatives in 1983 near Winchester, where her parents still live. She met husband Simon at Cambridge University. Their youngest son was born in 1999. She worked as a community service volunteer between school and university and was a patron of the Bloomfield Centre Appeal for child mental health services at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in London.

She also chairs a local residents' association and enjoys playing tennis and reading.

Antonia's Experience

Antonia has worked in financial services, as banking correspondent of the Daily Telegraph and helped launch BreakingViews, a successful financial comment service. From 2001 to 2010 she was a leader writer at the London Evening Standard, and then became a policy adviser to the Shadow Transport Secretary. She is a member of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies and in 2004  wrote the Policy Exchange publication "The Best Kit", calling for better support for Britain's armed forces. In 2010 she wrote "More Bang for the Buck", a publication on getting better value from the defence budget, for the Centre for Policy Studies. She is also a member of the Conservative Women's Organisation Muslim Group, which works to promote dialogue and mutual understanding.

Campaigns in Islington South and Finsbury

Islington has been carved up between Labour and the Liberal Democrats for far too long. Residents want an alternative to politicians who take the borough for granted. Responding to constituents' anger over excessive rewards for MPs, Antonia has challenged MP Emily Thornberry not to take 2009's big increase in the London Supplementary Allowance and pledged not to take the allowance at all herself if elected.

Antonia is working with tenants and leaseholder representatives for a better deal from Homes for Islington and has highlighted in local media its lack of accountability.

Antonia is also campaigning for better value for money for taxpayers, at a time when London's Conservative Mayor is freezing his share of council tax to ease the impact of recession. Boroughs like Hammersmith and Fulham are cutting the burden on residents - why can't Islington?

To follow the latest campaigns, go to Islington Conservative, join Elect Antonia Cox for Islington South and Finsbury via Facebook, or use myconservatives.com.